"It's very much the unspoken rule": IndyCar's Alexander Rossi pulls back curtain on skiing bans in drivers’ "no-fun" contracts

IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi and former driver James Hinchcliffe uploaded the latest episode of their podcast Off Track with Hinch and Rossi on January 10, 2025, as the pair discussed the Skiing-related clauses in the IndyCar and F1 contracts.

The off-season is underway and the winters are at their peak with the drivers traveling across the globe. Despite Skiing being a major segment of the European-based drivers' winter traditions, the contracts ban the drivers from enjoying such a risky sport.

As the question was put forward on the podcast, the IndyCar presenter said,

“It's the no fun clause. So it's anything fun - Skiing, snowboarding, wakeboarding, Wake surfing. Rollerblading, BMXing, you know, dirt bikes, skydiving, bungee jumping, any of that cool, extreme stuff out. I've always found it interesting, like, how many F1 guys still ski in the winter?” (11:20 onwards)

“I think a lot of people there carve it out, too. Like, that was kind of where I got the notion that that was okay. Because skiing in Europe is a pretty big deal. So I think that they all kind of just do that. And it's very much the unspoken rule. Like, my contract has it, but it's, like, specified as no off piece. So, like, as long as I'm not on a closed run or in the backcountry, I’m okay,” Alexander Rossi replied.

Former F1 driver Michael Schumacher was involved in a skiing accident just a year after he announced his retirement and the serious injuries from it led to a Coma. As per the reports, the seven-time F1 champion is said to be in a better state but no official communication has been made from the Schumacher family.

Alexander Rossi signed with Ed Carpenter Racing for the 2025 IndyCar season as the announcement was made in September 2024. He drove for Arrow McLaren for the last couple of years and finished the 2024 championship in 10th.

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“Alexander Rossi wins the Indy 500”: Motorsport Insider makes a bold prediction for the greatest spectacle in racing

Alexander Rossi won the Indy 500 in 2016, which continues to be one of the highlights of his racing career. The California-born has always done well around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and has finished inside the Top 5 in his last three Indy 500 entries. Bob Pockrass came out and commented on Rossi's 2025 Indy 500 chances, saying:

“Alexander Rossi wins the Indy 500. Rossi, who moved from Arrow McLaren to Ed Carpenter Racing, has had his share of Indy 500 disappointments that followed his win in 2016 in his first 500. What ECR does well is have fast cars at Indianapolis.”

The 107TH Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Practice and Qualifying - Source: Getty

Alexander Rossi won his first and only Indy 500 in his debut IndyCar season in 2016, and took the chequered flag with an empty fuel tank.